Gibbs, a former secondary coach with the NFL's Texans, sold simple defensive fundamentals: tackle, force turnovers and know assignments while swarming to the football.

"And I wanted somebody to be a positive influence on a defense that, quite frankly, coming off last season didn't have a lot of confidence," Levine said.

The UH defense is oozing with confidence in the midst of one of the best early-season turnarounds in the nation. The Cougars are 5-0 for the fifth time in school history heading into Saturday's game against BYU at Reliant Stadium.

Related

The Cougars were forced to make changes after going 5-7 last season, firing defensive coordinator Jamie Bryant. Statistically speaking, UH had one of the worst seasons in school history, finishing 115th (out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools) in total defense and 107th in scoring defense.

Along with Gibbs, Levine hired linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves to a staff that already included defensive line coach Ricky Logo and defensive backs coach Zac Spavital.

More Information

No comparison A look at UH's defense after five games in 2012 and 2013 (national rank in parentheses): 20122013

Total defense487.0 (113) 395.4 (60)

Scoring defense31.6 (94) 19.0 (22)

Rushing defense208.0 (104) 126.6 (26)

Passing efficiency defense131.4 (73) 118.5 (42)

Forced turnovers9 18

Record2-3 5-0

Adjusting nicely

How the Houston defense has fared in the first half vs. the second half this season:

Category 1st 2nd

Points 12.4 5.4

Total yds. 224 171.4

Passing yds. 152.8 116

Rushing yds. 71.2 55.4

Turnovers 9 9

BYU at Houston

When/where: 2:30 p.m.; Reliant Stadium.

TV/radio: ESPNews; 790 AM.

"It's been fun watching them put it together the way they wanted," Levine said.

Proof is in 5-0 record

Through five games, the improvement has been noticeable across the board compared to the same point last season: UH is allowing nearly 100 fewer yards per game, two touchdowns less and has doubled its turnovers from nine to 18, third-most in the nation.

"Statistics, you can bend them and twist them anywhere you want," said Gibbs, who is no stranger to success as defensive coordinator at previous stops Minnesota and Auburn. "My job is to win football games. We've been lucky to do it five times so far."

One of the biggest improvements has been in tackling, which Levine said has been "as well as I've ever been around" in 18 years of coaching. The Cougars aim for 10 or fewer missed tackles per game and have met the goal every game. That, in turn, has limited the number of big plays allowed.

The Cougars stay fresh with a nine-man rotation on the defensive line, none of them seniors, and added a rush-end position that Levine said has received "major production" from true freshman Tyus Bowser (team-leading three sacks and seven quarterback hurries), transfer Trevor Harris (two sacks) and Eric Eiland, who recently returned from a groin injury.

Despite the loss of two starters, the linebacker corps has excelled with defensive leader Derrick Mathews and new starters Efrem Oliphant, a third-stringer in the spring, and Steve Taylor. At safety, Trevon Stewart was a freshman All-America selection last season, and sophomore Adrian McDonald has emerged as one of the Cougars' top defenders in his first season as full-time starter. The unit's only seniors are cornerbacks Zach McMillian and Thomas Bates.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

UH has been especially tough in the second half, allowing only three touchdowns. McDonald had an interception in the final minutes to seal a Week 2 win at Temple. The defense forced five fourth-quarter turnovers to turn a close game into a blowout at UTSA. Last week, UH kept Memphis out of the end zone the entire game and allowed only 72 yards on the final five drives.

"Our job is to give the offense a chance to win at the end of the game," Gibbs said. "As long as the offense has the ball with a chance to win the game, I think you've done your job as a defense."